Thread: Thai Motor Insurance is Strange...

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Any thoughts?

Buy a new motor?

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Any thoughts?

Well, insurance is a gamble and you seem to be losing every spin of the wheel so just cut your losses and don't get insurance.

Also, don't let your missus drive the car cos she's obviously not capable if she keeps banging into things on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by Kurgen

Buy a new motor?

Funnily enough, this was my first thought too. Once the house is done (maybe December or January) then I'll get a new 4x4.

Originally Posted by khmen

cut your losses and don't get insurance.

This worries me because the missus needs insurance; I hate to think what kind of liability would befall us if she was let loose without insurance.

Originally Posted by khmen

don't let your missus drive the car

You tell her!

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Quote: Originally Posted by khmen don't let your missus drive the car You tell her!

Tell her to pay for the insurance then, or get her her own car th only she drives and she pays the insurance on that. I suggest one of these.

Originally Posted by pseudolus

Tell her to pay for the insurance then

She does.

(with my money, but it's in her account, so it's hers - obviously...)

How many times has the car been repaired on insurance during the past 4 years? 17k baht is pretty stiff premium for an older car. Apparently you've made some claims.

^ yes, the wife has made between 6 and 10 claims in the 3 years (I've lost count); that's why the cost is high. I can accept that; the issue is that the sum insured is too low, and I'd like the car fixed at a Honda main dealer every time she crashes it.

For a car worth 300k, just get 2nd and third party.
It's a piece of shit.

Originally Posted by Necron99

For a car worth 300k, just get 2nd and third party.
It's a piece of shit.

The car isn't even worth that. I'd go with the minimum and quit fixing the minor fender benders.
If she want's to drive a car that hasn't a scratch she'd better learn to drive defensively.

My insurance on my then 5 year old Corolla was only 6000bht a year. I let some Hiso fancy bitch talk me into getting all the little nicks fixed by insurance. The following year they raised my rate to 12000bht a year. Even thought the repairs if I'd done on my own would have only amounted to 4000bht. They billed the insurance co. 10k and I got zinged on the premium.

Fuck'em I say; now I go with the minimum and drive beat up cars. I'd much rather keep my money in he bank than feeding insurance companies.

If you quit fixing every little fender bender it might help be a reminder to the driver to be more careful. Insurance is not free!

PS. BB don't go buying any new cars. Let the missus drive the old city from here to eternity and quit paying for first class insurance on car which is essentially junk already.

I'm not feeling a lot of love for me beautiful little Honda City here!

Second hand cars in Thailand, as we all know, keep there price well (too well). The point about keeping the car is a good one because a little Honda should go on for another 10 years without too much upkeep; these years are the time when the cost of ownership is down.

A 3 year old car may be a 'piece of shit' to some, but you clearly have much more money than I.

A major concern is full coverage should: 1) the missus kill somebody while driving; 2) some bloody Fortuna drive into me; 3) other. For the sake of 17,000 baht per year, I don't want to have to deal with any of these potentially dangerous and expensive situations. I just call the company, sit in the car, relax and say nothing. Easy.

My only concern was: 1) if the car gets totalled then I'd like the replacement money for it rather than just 30% or so; 2) A local dodgy garage fukin around with the car without the decent checks and balances that a main dealer offers. As seen in other car threads recently, these garages can cause more damage than the repairs they went in for in the first place - a main dealer offers some, SOME, protection against that.

Anyways, the missus is trying to arrange the latter with the insurance company.

Once we move to Nakhon Nowhere then we'll try to find a decent and trustworthy local garage as the car starts to age. You never know, I might do some bits and bobs meself. Probably not...

BB I'm guessing the fender benders have all been minor not affecting the overall integrity of the car. Just go from here to basic insurance and bank your money.

Teach your significant other to be responsible.

I recently went through a period where my significant other's 19 year old daughter was learning to drive, She banged up the car some, had a scary exchange with a local tuktuk asshole. Now she's too scared to drive, and I won't fix the dings and tuktuk scratches, problem solved. Though I kinda wished she'd have become a decent driver. Fact is some of these junglebunnies just cant drive a car!

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

So the missus calls me today:

"We need to pay the car insurance."

"Ok, pay it."

"It's 17,000 baht for first class insurance and the sum insured is 100,000 baht."

"But the car's worth between 300,000 and 350,000."

"The car's now 4 years old."

"So, try another company."

"I have; they're all like that."

"Mmm..."

"And we can't repair the car in a Honda main garage now it's 4 years old."

"Try another company."

"I have; they're all like that.

"Check again and hassle them for a higher sum insured and repairs in a Honda dealer."

"OK, I will try."

All very strange to me. Now, the missus has had numerous minor crashes every year for the past 3 years (she has reversed into numerous other cars, walls, concrete pillars, etc), we paid no excess and the bills every year have come to much more than the insurance premium (hence why our premium hasn't dropped in 3 years!) - that's all very good for us.

But, if the car is written off or stolen we will only get a small percentage of its repacement cost back - that's not a first class policy is it?

And, I don't really want some dodgy Somchai&Somsak garage doing any repairs on the car.

Any thoughts?

Your missus is an insurance risk of the first class,no wonder any insurance company does not want to shell out if she writes off the car,which going on her appalling driving record she could well do. If she was in the UK then her insurance would be thousands of pounds per year.

^ yes, I agree with all of that. However, we live in Thailand and I have to manage the state of affairs on the ground. We're not in England you see; neither are the millions of other maniacs on the road...

Mr Eark, I worry about Murphy's Law; the minute I stop the 1st class insurance an accident will happen that needed it...

I do get your point MrE, but for peace of mind I think I'd rather pay it. I need to check the insurance document and see what real benefits 1st class insurance offers; particularly on the indemnity side of things, and support at accident time.

^BB you think too much! Go with standard insurance, keep 500-1000k in reserve for emergencies which you should have already actually double that living here. learn to drive defensively and teach your significant other the same, cover all your other assets accordingly. Otherwise be happy payin the piper; the insurance man

PPS:
BB you should forget about buying a new vehicle if you're squirming about 17k insurance, cuz everything else is going to add up so much quicker.
If your woman isn't trying to save you money you are already toast if you don't take charge.

I'm lucky because I have a woman who is more frugal than I, and manages to make money for me. Mind I don't buy new cars or throw money around like an asshole.

I feel hurt by the name calling on this thread. But, I'll get over it...

The new car idea is just because next year we'll be moving from Bkk to a house in the country; 4x4 would be useful because the roads around the land are not roads as such...

I don't mind paying the 17k (paid more the last 3 years), I just thought the sum insured should be higher; 80% of the replacement value would be ok, but 30% of the replacement value seems ridiculous - actually, they are not covering the car at all, they are purely covering what is left on the finance! They have mirrored the finance every year. That's different from what I am used to, but TiT...

No 1: Have the Thai Wife take a rigorous Eye Exam.
No 2: Enroll your Thai Wife in a tough defensive Driving Course.
No 3: Ignore all the ... "You don't luv me anymore" ... whinging routines!

^ funily enough, they're all like that...

I sent her to do a two week driving course at Bangkok's main centre (where they do the testing, issue the licenses, etc), and she joined a course run by the top driving instructor. She got her license. The first time she drove a car, she didn't turn the wheel at the first bend and nearly drove into a house (this was in our quiet mooban). I asked her why she didn't turn the wheel, she said she didn't know. I asked her what she learnt on the driving course, she said that she had a plastic child's toy steering wheel on a desk that she turned! I kid you not. It then took me several months of driving a couple of times with her per day before she was able to drive by herself (a very stressful time for me...). She has improved very well, and now drives confidently at 140kph on the expressway (but not with me in the car!), so take care on Thai raods; she is actually as good as or better than most of the others... Scary.

Originally Posted by cdnski12

No 1: Have the Thai Wife take a rigorous Eye Exam.
No 2: Enroll your Thai Wife in a tough defensive Driving Course.
No 3: Ignore all the ... "You don't luv me anymore" ... whinging routines

No.4. If she's that terrible at driving....i nvest heavily into a different policy , her life insurance

Renewing insurance here is an annual nightmare. At home, they simply send you a bill, and if you pay by the expiration date, your insurance is renewed.

Here it takes multiple mailed notices, phone calls and letters which have to be translated by Thai friends. I haven't had a claim since I nailed a Pattaya cop 5 years ago, why does it have to be so difficult?

PS: The large deductible seems like it would encourage the Thais to drive better since they will out a lot of money if the car is destroyed; sadly Western logic seldom works in Thailand.

Originally Posted by BobR

Renewing insurance here is an annual nightmare.

Here it takes multiple mailed notices, phone calls and letters which have to be translated by Thai friends.

What a load of shite.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

the wife has made between 6 and 10 claims in the 3 years (I've lost count)

Betty's new orange ranger in 6 months